Nebraska Wine and Balloon Festival 2012

Adam and I decided to head out a few weekends ago to the Nebraska Balloon and Wine Festival. As luck would have it, it rained while we were there. Luckily, we had one umbrella and one rain jacket between the two of us so we managed to stay dry. The rain meant that none of the balloons could launch, but we were happy that we were still able to sample the wine, and see the balloons up close and glowing. This is an annual event, so if you ever find yourself near Omaha in the month of August, be sure to check this event out! Besides wine and balloons, there were vendors selling food and products as well as live music. Be sure to bring a blanket or lawn chairs and some bugspray!

Rock of Ages

Last fall my friend Amy went to see the Broadway musical "Wicked" when it was in town and then my aunt took me. We all had such a fantastic time that Amy and I agreed we needed to get season tickets. Then we decided out moms would like it, and they would like each other, so we invited them and the four of us got season tickets to the Broadway shows. We are having so much fun we are already planning to get tickets again next year.

The third show for this season was Rock of Ages. The music was FANTASTIC. In fact, I'm planning to use my iTunes gift cards from Christmas and my birthday to download those songs but by the original artists to create my "Rock of Ages" play list. Also, the talent in this show was incredible. The show is very high energy with lots of intense singing and dancing and those performers did not miss a beat! I also thought the writers did a great job of weaving together a story from all those popular 80's songs that we know and love. If you love power ballads this is your show.

My only disappointment here was the gratuitous vulgarity. While I may not always agree with certain language or lifestyle choices, I usually am pretty tolerant to its presence in pop culture & in the world around me. But in this case, a lot of it was unnecessary to the story - lots of "f-bombs", lots of sexual references, etc. Definitely not a family-friendly musical. Buyer beware: part of the story line is that the main female character takes a job as a stripper and as such there is some dancing related to that involving poles. It is tied into the story as part of the main female character's storyline, however, I just thought I'd throw it out there in case that sort of thing would offend you.

All in all, a great night with friends - but probably not my favorite show of this season. One more to go - Fiddler on the Roof in April and then we will be eagerly stalking the website for next year's season package! :)

Book Review - "The Best of Me" by Nicholas Sparks

The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


While I love to get some variety in my reading (different authors, genres, themes/subject matter, etc.) there are some authors I just can't resist even if their writing is somewhat predictable. Nicholas Sparks is one of them.



Like many of his other works, there is a love interest that involves some sort of conflict, tension or history to it. There is a tragedy. There are characters with quirks. And there are characters dealing with their baggage. And it doesn't necessarily end the way you want it to, but it ends the way it should.



Dawson grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, the youngest in a family of drug dealers, wife beaters, bullies, etc. He meets Amanda in high school and they fall madly in love. Her parents - wealthy and of good reputation - don't approve of their relationship and eventually the pair break up but neither of them really get over their first love.



Each of them moves on to different cities to start new lives of their own. Amanda goes to college and marries a guy that looks good on paper and Dawson moves out of town and takes on a variety of jobs, living in a variety of places and never really settling down, never able to get over Amanda.



When they meet again, it is at the dying wishes of a mutual friend, and of course that old flame is reignited when they see each other again. They stay in their hometown for a few days trying to sort out their friend's estate and in doing so they are able to spend some time together catching up on each other's lives.



The tension in this particular romance is created by the fact that Amanda is married - but not happily - and struggles with the desire to reunite with Dawson and everything that she would be giving up and all the hurt she would be causing to her family if she did so.



Meanwhile, in the background of their relationship, in addition to the problems at home with her alcoholic husband, Amanda is struggling with her relationship with her mother and Dawson is struggling with the tragedy that caused him to leave town originally & also his crazy family who are out for revenge against him.



And then, in true Nicholas Sparks fashion, another tradedy strikes that brings a resolution to all those loose strings that were woven into the book. You may love it, you may hate it, it might all seem a bit too convenient, but in the end is was probably the right way for things to play out.



While I seem to be harping on Sparks' formulaic approach to writing, I will say that I keep reading in spite of that because I love the values he instill in the characters - in this case, Dawson overcomes his negative upbringing and leaves a nice legacy. You are also introduced to their mutual friend who, in spite of his rough exterior, was a wonderful man, wise and generous. And in the end, Amanda is faithful to her her husband and tries to do the right thing for her family. If you like the way Sparks describes things and the rhythm to his writing, you won't be disappointed. He also has a great way of endearing the characters to you and getting you to feel what he wants you to feel, in spite of how you would normally react.



I borrowed this book from the library and already returned it, so I can't quote it exactly, but one thing I liked is he talks about how people so often think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, but they forget that it's greener because someone watered it and tended to it so that it could grow.



What a neat statement - yes, other people might be more appealing to you than the husband you are struggling with. Or, other jobs might be more appealing than the one you currently have, or your neighbors' house might seem better than yours - but you have the power to have the things you want by investing yourself in them - by working to nurture your relationship, your career, your home or anything other area of your life that you aren't happy with. Giving up will lead to brown grass and anything else will look better.







View all my reviews

Books of 2011 Recap

As most of you know, one of my favorite pastimes is to read. I come by it honestly...my grandmother is a retired children's librarian (and she worked at my school, so I had no choice) and my mother is an avid reader as well. Here is a recap of what I've read this year:

"Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson
"Before I Fall" by Lauren Oliver
"Calm My Anxious Heart" by Linda Dillow
"I Still Believe" by Jeremy Camp
"The Girl Who Played with Fire" by Stieg Larsson
"Room" by Emma Donaghue
"Freedom" by Jonathan Franzen
"Mini Shopaholic" by Sophie Kinsella
"House Rules" by Jodi Picoult
"Sarah's Key" by Tatiana de Rosnay
"Love Walked In" by Marisa de los Santos
"Forever" by Maggie Stiefvater
"Can't Wait to Get to Heaven" by Fannnie Flagg
"Memoirs of a Geisha" by Arthur Golden
"Heaven is for Real" by Todd Burpo
"Left to Tell: by Immaculee Ilibigiza
"Megan's Way" by Melissa Foster
"Wideacre" by Phillippa Gregory
"Silver Girl" by Elin Hilderbrand
"Reckless Faith" by Jo Kadlacek

For those of you looking for something to read, my favorites were "Can't Wait to Get to Heaven" because of Fannie Flagg's unfailing humor and Southern charm and "Memoirs of a Geisha" for the fascinating glimpse of a different era and culture. If you are looking for some Christian inspiration, I was very inspired by the testimonies in "Heaven is for Real", "Left to Tell", and "I Still Believe".

I'm looking to kick off 2012 with the Twilight series (I finally caved into the peer pressure!).

If you want to know more about my thoughts on books, please look me up on GoodReads - I'd love to be your friend!

Happy New Year!!!

Well, friends, Happy New Year! It's been a long while since I posted, and even then it was very infrequently, but this year I want to get back into the swing of things. Originally, my intention in setting up this blog was to use it to keep family in the loop over the miles. However, now that I'm closer to them, I suppose it makes sense that I would use it to share with my friends a.k.a. my other family.

So, check back to see what I'm up to including recipes, craft ideas, book reviews, random thoughts and happenings.

So, I hope this finds all of you enjoying the start of 2012! It should be a great year!!!

xoxo,
Michelle